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[scriptores]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 : hermes , the messenger of the gods

overview: a son of zeus and maia, the daughter of atlas, hermes was born in a cave in arcardia as a god of swiftness and craftiness. he snuck out of the cave in his youth after his mother told him a story about apollo's cattle. through his cunning, unrivaled speed, and trickery, he was able to steal the prized cattle, endeared an angry apollo to him through the invention of the lyre, and won his father's favor through his amusing antics and sacrifices to the gods. thereafter, he became zeus' personal messenger and an olympian god by his own right presiding over herds, heralds, travelers, commerce, trade & thieves. he is the pantheon's middleman and arguably the biggest aid to their mortal heroes. he also serves as a psychopomp, guiding departed souls to the underworld when requested or needed.

VERSES.

✧ main : for any greek myth canon or ancient/modern fantasy verses that leaves room for the pantheon to exist. any cataclysmic/supernatural threat that can only be addressed by a chosen one/few means there's a call that will need to be answered, and you know who's making that call? hermes is the mouthpiece of the gods, and herald of nearly every story, so he will be convincing heroes to step out of their ordinary worlds to go save the world, may even help or deliver a boon somewhere along the way between his many misadventures errands if he takes a liking to them!

✧ dragon age : will be kept a little vague for the sake of flexibility with plots, but the general vibe is that hermes was a city elf turned thieving rogue with a robin hood complex, so can very easily be dragged into a companion verse during the fifth blight, or recruited by the inquisition if they can look past his delinquency. he is technically a mage, but non-practicing, never properly trained, and won't disclose this voluntarily; however wind is his natural element and he does use magic to grant him supernatural speed which he chalks to his "enchanted boots". aside from that he'll rely on his arrows or short sword in a fight.

✧ fae verse : open for further plots and development, but he's so fae boi coded it has to be done. he would be considered seelie, an embodiment of wind (originally from the autumn or spring court? not sure yet), and a herald to whatever faerie monarch applies. he's usually sent as a spy, diplomat and courier between the fae courts, but is also regularly found in the mortal realm stirring relatively harmless trouble or stealing things from guarded hoards and castles.

✧ modern/futuristic/dystopian : any non-immortal plots where more than likely hermes is just your typical outlaw recruited to a cause or special mission. will be a case by case basis, but some options are: hermes as the vroom vroom catch me if can boy, the designated getaway car, the double agent, the heist extraordinaire, the clever speedster (for mutant/super hero aus), the devil's advocate (for organized crime aus where zeus is the head of a crime ring), the head of his own band of thieves etc etc

DOSSIER.

name. hermes titles/epithets. trickster god, slayer of argos, of the golden wand, of the gateway, patron of athletes and gymnasiums, swift-footed, luck-bringer, keen-sighted, glad-hearted, ready-helper, champion, guiless-one, famous-one pronouns. he/him age. immortal pantheon. hellenistic polytheism etymology. olympian god sexuality. pansexual alignment. chaotic good / neutral

relations. zeus (father), maia (mother), atlas (grandfather), apollo (favorite target, brother), dionysus (foster kid, brother), charon (hhrrhgurrgh ♡), and too many many others to list (homer said he's for the streets).

height. 5'11" build. lean and very toned, especially around his calves, thighs, and glutes. he's not running around in a mini chiton for no reason hair. black and usually kept at a youthful and lush length, just short enough to stay out of his eyes and nape eyes. dark brown, increasingly gold during a run, and near electric when he starts to reach top speed. sacred animals/plants. ram, hare, tortoise, cattle, sheeps, goats, strawberry trees, crocus

abilities / skillset. * super speed. the fastest god of the pantheon, easily capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound, and if he pushes it hard enough his top speed reaches just shy of the speed of light.

* dimensional travel. he can also travel the axis mundi aka "the crossroads" between realms and take others through those roads. typically, he uses this for short cuts and to save on his endurance when zeus needs him to hop to too many far away places at once.

* wind manipulation. his proclivity for speed is in large part due to his manipulation of air and ability to live in his own separate vacuum with little to no wind resistance. as such, he is able to fly for limited periods, create whirlwinds, manipulate and build air momentum into concentrated blasts, change the trajectory of airborne projectiles, cushion a hard fall, enhance his agility, create air shields etc.

* martial arts/rogue class skillset. not just for fantasy verses, but in general hermes has very high dexterity, coercion, and agility. he is also very adept in martial arts/wrestling. while he is strong, he can be overpowered and will reply on his speed and precision with hits, as well as use an enemies momentum against them.

* intelligence. hermes is wickedly smart and inventive, as demonstrated in several of his myths, it's the reason why he was even accepted into the big 12 to begin with. his intelligence won't present itself in the conventional way, he has very little patience to sit and learn subjects that don't apply to him or engage him, but he has a strong affinity and natural understanding of physics and mathematics which will be obvious in the way he trades, the things he's creates out of scraps and items he collects, or when he improvises his escape plans.

magical items/work instruments. he's got a couple of these that's he's either stolen or created for himself, but his short cloak/hood of invisibility is the one he will not leave the house without. and his arm brace is what allows him to carry souls to the underworld.

restrictions.

* speed and endurance limitations. since he is creating his own little vaccum, the faster he runs the less oxygen he has to breath, which as an immortal won't kill him, but will be very painful and mess with his focus. he trains a lot to build up his lung capacity so he can travel faster for longer periods of time, but like any runner, he does have his limits. high speeds are mean for shorter bursts. he's also still trying to outrun lightning, but somehow can't seem to manage it (yet).

* low damage tolerance. while he is very agile and prides himself in being hard to catch, when a hit does manage to make the mark, his tolerance for damage will be low. ( he's also very futbol player coded in that way. don't trip him while he's running because he will be baby about it for a hot minute. )

* unfocused. while very hard working, he can and will get easily distracted, take on multiple tasks at once regardless of his bandwidth or overestimate how many enemies he can take on which is usually to his detriment. he's also.... very thrill seeking and care free which means he's likely to act on impulse rather than strategy, thinks he's smart enough to improvise his way out of a bind (most of the time he is)

themes. i had to make a playlist, don't look at me

[scriptores]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 : melinöe , goddess of ghosts & nightmares

overview: loosely based on the orphic myths, melinöe is a goddess of ghosts, nightmares & madness. she is known as the formless one for her shapeshifting abilities, the propitiated one by those who pray she does not visit them at night with her train of revengeful ghosts, and also as a crossroads deity, capable of infiltrating any realm so long as the sun is down. she is the daughter of hades & persephone, stolen at birth, and who remains estranged after discovering this. her domain is in the river of wailing, where she offers an alternative option to the souls who were not given proper burial, endured a violent death, and/or did not have the toll to pay the ferryman. rather than spend the hundred years wandering in the banks, they're given the chance to join her retinue in a nightly exodus to haunt in her name. melinöe herself often pays personal visits to the sleeping, invading and manipulating the dreams laid out by morpheus by taking the shape of their worst nightmares.

VERSES.

✧ main : going off the greek myths here, but can be applied to various settings & fantasy crossovers. she can be the entity associated with whatever boogeyman or nightmare figure applies. the background here is that melinöe was born formless (thus difficult to identify), so echidna stole her away to raise as her own, shaped her into the frightful and formidable deity she is currently, and used her as a force against house hades during the gigantomachy. after discovering that she wasn't echidna's daughter (default is that hekate unearthed this), she turned against the gigantes, but remained estranged to house hades all the same. she prefers her solitude and being spooky, so will avoid anything that may compromise that.

✧ supergiant's hades : same background here applies until i get more info on what they plan to do with mel's background, but this is the primary verse where i will play around with mel being more anti-heroine skewed. she was the one who unleashed kronus, the titan of time, and her grandfather, who took hades hostage. after discovering her true parentage, she begrudgingly agrees to train with hekate and save her father (as a debt she feels she owes, not out of love). [alt. adjacent verse] slaying the titan of time ultimately opens up some crossover plots where she's the new time anchor capable of traveling across timelines in the multiverse.

✧ dragon age : my favorite verse for her !! it writes itself besties !! she's the formless one (aka the last surviving forbidden one after da:i), which i'm establishing to be a fear demon, and also the nightmare demon in inquisition who commands the demons in alignment with corypheus. (it's good food she needs no other reason). she was once a spirit of hope who absorbed the fears of others, but in time this corrupted her and turned her into the first fear demon, essentially a mirror of whatever horror plagues the collective. at this time she's a nightmare demon who primarily embodies with the blight because that's the most prevalent existential dread, but being the formless one means she can evolve to encapsulate something else.

✧ modern : this is my playdough verse for non-fantasy settings, used more for modern horror stories. melinöe is still a goddess of ghosts and nightmares, but she will have fun being a living nightmare, meaning she can also be whomever in a creepy town or hotel or shop who seems normal during a first encounter, but is not really there, and then the haunting horrors will persist.

DOSSIER.

name. melinöe epithets. the formless one, phantom queen, dark-mind, propitiation-minded pronouns. she/her age. immortal pantheon. hellenistic polytheism etymology. chthonic goddess sexuality. pansexual alignment. chaotic evil / neutral

relations. hades (father), persephone (mother), echidna (mother), zagreus (@oddyseas, brother), makaria (sister), bianca di angelo ( @infernocte, sister), aya akazwa (@serenaderain, sister), hekate (matron), morpheus (🔪)

height. 5'7" build. she will usually present herself as a nebulous shadow with only her eyes as a discernible feature, but her base form is lithe and toned. she has a white phantom forearm (left) that she keeps gloved. it's very bright, the only heavenly thing about her, but it is also translucent and exposes her ethereal skeleton. hair. ghostly white, typically short and slicked in streaks down her skull, but can sometimes be long and floating around chaotically, if the horror calls for it. eyes. varies. they could be cloudy grey and rotted, black like that chair in in the corner of your room when the lights are off, yellow like spider guts, or burning pits distinguishing markers. dogs barking at night, radio silence, a sudden drop in temperature, a dark face in the back of your eyelids, the sound of mourning criesscents. burning sage, saffron, grave dirt, the a&f store? idk whatever u loathe

abilities / skillset. * shape-shfting. less focused on concrete shapes than obscure and terrifying figures; however, this ability is also very much reflective of her environment and the person she is haunting. if their worst nightmare involves another person, she will embody that shape.

* dimensional travel. a very stealthy ghoul! there is nowhere you can hide if it's night and you are sleeping without protection. that's the in miss boogey woman needs to find you. however, she can also travel the axis mundi aka "the crossroads" between realms in the greek pantheon without restrictions and take others through those roads so long as they accompany her throughout. otherwise, they could get stuck in limbo there. (in her alt. sg hades verse she'll ultimately be able to travel the multiverse this way)

* possession. again, without protective measures or if someone is frightened enough to slip past the defense of their will, she and/or one of her ghosts can possess them and live within the confines of their mind like a parasite.

* combat skills. while stunning or deceiving enemies through visions and torturous encounters is her go-to method, melinöe is also a very capable fighter. you can consider her more of a rogue. she's a dual wielder and her weapons are usually a pair of crescent shaped sickles.

* magic phantom arm. allows her to shoot blasts of burning ectoplasm and cast simple entropy spells. it'll usually be gloved which dampens the effect, but when it isn't, and given enough time to boot it, she can nuke something. restrictions. * sensitivity to sunlight. she is incapable of being in the sun without extensive damage. it won't kill her, but she will be in agony and incapacitated, and hella pissed if she escapes. rooms with bright lights are also very annoying, she'll find a way to shut them off or dim them to scare someone, but also for her own comfort.

* protective tokens & practices. salt rings or salt along thresholds will keep her and her ghosts barred from entering a home, but melinöe may still be able to sneak in from a sleeping mind within that home, unless you have protective bells that will stir when she's near and wake them before she's found her way through. protective crystals and sage may also keep her from finding someone or dampen/cleanse her influence, but won't stop her from entering a room.

* combat. without her abilities at her disposal, she's more vulnerable to being overcome in combat. she won't be easy to take down, as she is fast and very precise, but in terms of the damage that she can take before being subdued, this is low and her weakest point.

themes. paint it black, ciara / boogie woogie wu, insane clown posse / bury a friend, billie eilish / mercy street, fever ray

[scriptores]

• 𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐋𝐋, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 • you will guard them and they will hate you for it. whenever there is not a blight actively crawling over the surface, humanity will do its best to forget how much they need you.

full bio: asteria amell was born in the city of kirkwall, located in the free marches, to one of the wealthiest and most influential noble houses in the city. after kirkwall's viscount was arrested and stripped of his rank & title, lord aristide amell, asteria's grand-uncle, was favored to take his place. his succession was jeopardized after his wife, lady bethann, fell ill and asteria began to exhibit strange behaviors. she was 6 at the time, and claimed to see & hear "guests" that others couldn't. they assumed the stress of her grandaunt's illness was to blame.

however, one morning asteria warned her mother that lady bethann would soon be with " the lady ". true enough, bethann's condition worsened and she succumbed to cholera that very night. asteria was still too young to understand the concept of death, as well as her abilities. so when she saw her family in mourning and a spirit of compassion hovering over them in consolation, she willed it to possess the body, much to her family's horror. asteria's immediate regret then banished the spirit away.

but the amells subsequently realized that they had a mage in the family -- a necromancer, at that. one of the worst kinds by kirkwall's standards. by the chantry's laws, she was to be immediately turned over to the templars at kirkwall's circle tower of magi. however, to protect their titles and secure lord aristide's rise to the viscountship, asteria's abilities were illegally kept under wraps. lord aristide found a secret tutor who would teach asteria how to first, control her magic, and then, how to conceal it. until then, she would be kept out of the public eye to avoid any accidental exposure.

the fall of house amell: it was in those lonely childhood years that she befriended a city elf, estelle, who frequently snuck her out of the estate and became a best friend and soul sister to her. eventually, the two found themselves in trouble, forcing them to use their magic and expose themselves as mages. they were captured by the templars, but lord aristide bribed the templars to take them out of the country. they were then brought to the circle tower of ferelden, hoping it'd create enough distance to avoid a political scandal.

asteria was 10 at the time. later, she would be 13 when her mother's letters stopped coming, and 19 when she discovered the subsequent misfortunes that befell the once prosperous house: lord aristide's bid for viscount fell through, her mother mysteriously disappeared, her father moved away from kirkwall and did not wish to speak to her, and the rest of the line was either dead or disgraced. although it was not entirely her doing, she sometimes couldn't help but wonder if things might have turned out differently had she stayed put and never exposed herself as a mage.

the circle tower of ferelden: surrounded by lake calendad and templar guards around nearly every corner, asteria used the help of spirits to attempt the impossible. she and estelle came up with an escape plan, but asteria ultimately stayed behind to aid in a diversion so that elf girl could go free. thankfully, the templars could not prove her involvement, so she was let go after thorough questioning. in the time following, despite her proclivity for delinquency, first enchanter irving took a great interest in asteria's potential, as well as her abilities. he helped her deduce that she was a spirit medium.

he warned asteria that it'd make her all the more susceptible to becoming corrupted and possessed by demons if she wasn't careful. under knight commander greagoir’s orders, the templars of the circle were extra vigilant of her, and while she never gave him a proper reason to be made tranquil, during her harrowing, greagoir insisted on giving her less time than is normally granted most mage initiates. he believed the risk of her becoming an abomination was too great. first enchanter irving argued on the contrary, but ultimately it was cullen rutherford, the young templar who had been tasked with giving the killing blow, who was able to stall long enough for asteria to come back to herself. having successfully passed her harrowing, asteria was finally offered the chance to become irving's apprentice. seeing it as her best option to a life that might finally get her out of the tower, albeit temporarily, she accepted.

da origins set up: after discovering that her friend jowan would not be called into his harrowing and would be made tranquil instead, asteria abetted his escape and this time was caught. to avoid punishment, asteria was conscripted by duncan to join the grey wardens. as a sheltered mage, being suddenly thrust into the world and then an apocalyptic war was overwhelming, to say the least. she was glad to be given the task of lighting the signal in the tower of ishal, but the complete wipeout of the wardens who were out on the field, forced her to step up and rally the four corners of ferelden to fight against the blight under the ancient treaties they all signed. during this time, through morrigan's help, asteria also embraces her necromancy specialization and spirit medium abilities.

• links : dossier & verses / canon path / notes / pinterest / spotify

[scriptores]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 : asteria amell , dragon age: origins

overview: in the world of thedas, the darkspawn are orc-like creatures who dwell in an underground network of tunnels known as the deep roads. every few centuries, they rise to the surface in a hive-mind attack led by an archdemon. these apocalyptic scourges are known as the blight. out of the darkspawn's tainted essence, enhanced warriors known as the grey wardens were created to kill the archdemon and put a stop to the blight no matter the cost. it has been over 400 years since the last blight, but the fifth blight finally takes root in the country of ferelden. asteria is a newly initiated mage who was conscripted into the order at the eve of the first battle against the blight. political treachery lost them the battle and killed the king of ferelden, as well as nearly all the grey wardens. only asteria and alistair survived. with ferelden's borders closed and political ambitions still taking precedence, these two rookies and their motley crew of unlikely companions are thedas' last hope to stop the blight before it spreads beyond control.

CANON VERSES.

✧ origins : the events of the first game unfold and ultimately end with asteria being the warden who kills the archdemon. she survives the ordeal albeit changed, having incidentally absorbed the archdemon's soul unto her own, a fact that is evident to anyone who sees her violet eyes (as further explained here). [ alt. companion verse ] asteria can be picked up (or snuck out) during the circle tower crisis and join the warden's party. afterwards, she'd either live as an apostate mage or request to join the wardens as a new recruit during awakening. [ full bio ]

✧ awakening / da: 2 : asteria becomes the new warden commander of ferelden tasked with rebuilding the order. however, tensions are high as her survival and rumors of her absorbing the archdemon's soul brew resentment among the ranks. after she vanquishes the darkspawn threat in amaranthine, tensions begin to smooth over. she establishes the silver order and comes the new arlessa of amaranthine (although actively seeking a means to separate the two roles). when the mage-templar war starts, asteria receives an influx of mage and templar refugees alike seeking to join the order. she sets out looking for a cure for the taint so that those who chose this path in desperation could someday reverse it. ( a good crossover verse, since asta's search can take her to all sorts of places even outside of thedas )

✧ inquisition : my default is that asteria gave up her search for the cure and went straight to skyhold upon learning of the breach from a wisp in the fade. this happens sometime after warden commander clarel and the wardens of orlais are killed. after adamant, she becomes the temporary warden commander for the surviving orlesians and leads them in tandem with ferelden's warden forces against corypheus, should the inquisitor accept their aid.

AU VERSES.

✧ greek myth : asteria is the titan goddess of fallen stars and nocturnal oracles. she was a commander leading her father's northern celestial forces during the titanomachy, but was spared from being locked away in tartarus by her daughter, hekate's appeal. after being pursued by zeus, asteria fled to the underworld, and has been nyx's ward ever since. [ full bio ]

✧ dnd / critical role : asteria is the matron of ravens who presides over fate, winter, memories, and death. she was a mortal mage during the age of arcana, but ascended into her position after killing the previous death god. her name and her story has been wiped from historical memory. any remaining legends about her are varied and conflicting, but the one thing that is certain is that she has a disdain for orcus, the demon prince of undeath (or koschei if we decide to integrate his au here too). she actively seeks champions to defeat his undead forces and cult followers.

✧ fae verse : asteria is a faerie from the unseelie court and/or winter court. lots of flexibility here, but my default is affiliated with maeinade's unseelie queen, whom asteria assisted in usurping the previous monarch. she also has a proclivity for sorcery outside of faerie magic that she doesn't frequently employ in fear that it could raise suspicions that she isn't fully fae. [alt. acotar verse] also flexible. default is that asteria is illyrian, secretly a witch, and was one of the girls who joined the ranks in book 3. she fights in the battle against hybern, and uses her magic to save some but unfortunately not all of the illyrians who were caught in the cauldron blast.

DOSSIER

name. asteria amell diminutives. asta pronouns. she/her titles. champion of redcliffe, hero of ferelden, warden-commander of ferelden, arlessa of amaranthine (verse dependent) age. 19 (during origins), 31 (during da:i) origin. free marcher (w/avvar roots), identifies as ferelden etymology. human mage, spirit medium (spirit of command incarnate)* sexuality. bisexual alignment. chaotic good / neutral

relations. revka amell ( mother, presumed dead ), aerick ( biological father, presumed dead ), ethan amell ( father, deceased ), leticia amell ( half-sister, deceased ), diana amell ( half-sister, deceased ), apollonius amell ( half-brother, deceased ), hawke (cousin, alive)

height. 5'7" build. athletic & mesomorph hair. black & smooth as a river stone, usually kept back in a long braid. eyes. originally blue; now an unnatural violet scars. multiple faint scars, but the most prominent one is from the arrow she took at the tower of ishal. it sits right on her left shoulder, just below her collarbone, about the size of a coin and shaped like a gnarled silver star. there's an identical one on her left shoulder blade where the arrow pierced through. scents. rosemary, deathroot blossoms, & bergamot. 

abilities / skillset .

entropy & necromancy specialization.  the school of entropy deals with spells that attack the life force of an enemy and includes: creating death clouds to drain life energy (which can be absorbed to heal herself & companions), drawing residual spirit energy from the surrounding dead to replenish mana, paralyzing, disorienting, spirit bombing etc. necromancy allows her to call on and bind spirits from the fade to dead corpses and command them to attack on her behalf.

spirit medium . not a specialization that can be learned, but one she was born with. mages can interact with spirits and demons in the fade in their dreams, by physically summoning them with spells, or through their possessed vehicles, but spirit mediums are mages who have one foot in each of the two worlds. they can see through the veil and communicate with the beings on the other side at any given moment. 

grey warden abilities . wardens undergo a ritual (the joining) where they infuse darkspawn blood (the taint) with their own. this grants them: enhanced strength, durability, immunity to blighted illness, ability to sense when darkspawn are near, a connection to the darkspawn hivemind controlled by archdemons during a blight. typically, the archdemon can be seen & heard through dreams

archdemon soul absorption . after absorbing the archdemon's soul in the final boss battle, asteria essentially became an archmage, with an increased capacity for mana storage. she refuses to tap into that extra powerbank for a variety of reasons

restrictions .

other schools of magic . asteria was one of the top students of her class in the circle, and had to learn all the schools of magic at some capacity, but in the years since she's become a warden, she's been out of practice, and relies almost exclusively on entropy & necromancy if not her weapons.

high risk of possession. as a spirit medium, she can see through the veil in the waking word, but likewise those entities can see her. demons are often drawn to mediums like magnets and chisel away at their peace until their will is weak enough for a possession.

the calling . while the joining grants wardens increased abilities, it does not come without consequence. the taint is a poison which corrupts and overtime her mind will become more darkspawn than warden. this process is known as the calling. eventually through delusions it draws a warden to the deeproads where they are sure to meet their death or worse. it usually takes up to 30 years after a joining to hear the calling, but wardens, like asteria, who are active during a blight have this process accelerated, bringing it closer to 10 years.

archdemon soul absorption: although asteria has an increased mana powerbank to draw from, she still has a human body and to tap into that powerbank will take a massive toll on her physically. to draw on it completely might actually kill her.

themes. battle cry, imagine dragons / ezio's family, assassin's creed / to the stars, tyler bates / female robbery, the neighbourhood

[scriptores]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 : madame lebedeva, deathless & slavic folklore

name. madame lebedeva (full name is hers to give at her discretion) diminutives. lebed (intimate friends) super secret diminutives. inna, inulya, innushka pronouns. she/her titles. head magician of buyan, advisor & possestrima of the tsar of life age. immortal origin. slavic folklore etymology. chyerti (vila), magician sexuality. pansexual alignment. chaotic neutral / good, the army of life, the army of death

relations. koschei (vilenik), marya morevna (her vilenik at heart)

height. 5'2" build. petite and sylphic hair. light brown (white in vila form) eyes. brown (silver or black in vila form) scars. none (too many missing feathers in vila form) scents. honeysuckle and cherry blossoms

abilities / skillset .

vila/swan physiology . prefers to glamor & present herself as a colorful magician, but in her true vila form, lebed appears as a nymph clad in all white with swan wings, or becomes a full fledged swan. in either iteration of her vila form, a feather from her wing can grant health and strength but it comes with restrictions (see further below)

sorcery / alchemy .  after becoming a posestrima (vila blood sister) to koschei, she took an interest in the arcane and now has extensive knowledge and capabilities for casting curses and spells; she uses colors to draw mana; often fuses her potions and enchantments into her creams, perfumes and cosmetics.

revival / healing magic . as a vila, originally tied to lakes and springs, she has a natural proclivity for magic related to water and healing. before buyan's ocean desiccated, she had the ability to use dead water and live water for resuscitation rituals so long as soldiers were found not too long after death. now she can only rely on her arcane abilities and/or her limited swan feathers to attempt resuscitation, which works only on lucky occasions.

horseback riding / archery . she has a deep love for horseback riding and her white mare named biserka. also is an excellent archer who inherited a mystical bow from a legendary vila named ravijojla.

other vila abilities/skillsets . hypnotic dancing, luck manipulation (good luck to a vilenik; bad luck to someone who intrudes on a dance circle); precognition (random & not controllable), animal communication (mountain dogs, deer & horses favored), enhanced speed, durability & strength.

restrictions .

vilenik blood oath . after a favored one presents their offering to a vila and completes trials to prove themselves worthy, a vila can make them her chosen vilenik. in doing so, they undergo a blood oath which binds them together indefinitely. this represents a sacred promise to aid and protect a vilenik in their times of need, and also prevents a vila from directly harming her vilenik and vice versa. this is (unfortunately) her case with koschei.

vila weaknesses . her life force is tied to her hair, particularly in her vila form. cutting it is fine, but to take a strand of her hair from the root would severely deplete her physical strength. to take a second depletes her magic. and to take a third would kill her; her swan feathers are limited and grow back very slowly if at all once used; the use of her feathers for magic depletes her strength significantly and cannot be used more than three times in a given day without killing her

counterspells: all her spells have counter spells, and while she is a powerful magician in her own right, there are a few others who are more experienced than she is despite her position as the head magician. however, her hypnotic enchantments, expertise in alchemy, and health poultices are unrivaled.

theme. nymphology , melanie martinez

additional info / important notes directory

re. vila lore (x)

[scriptores]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 : fergus cousland, dragon age: origins

overview: as the eldest son of house cousland ( the ruling family of the teyrnir of highever ), fergus was sent to ostagar on a scouting mission to assist king cailan's efforts against the coming blight. in his absence, arl howe laid siege on the cousland castle, killing fergus' parents, as well as his wife and child. only his sister, alys, escaped the attack, but was conscripted into the grey warden order as a result and likewise sent to ostagar. fergus had been reported missing shortly before the battle, and for weeks he was presumed dead. however, his scouting unit had been ambushed and fergus was found by a chasind who tended him in his lengthy recovery. it was not until the land's meet that fergus was finally able to reunite with his sister and learn of his family's fate. after she ended the blight, fergus took his place as teyrn of highever, and hopes to rebuild his fallen house.

verses

main : for all plots centered around the games. i'm pretty open to playing around with different scenarios and aus (i.e. fergus being picked up as a companion in origins, rescued by someone else in the wilds, considered as an option for king / a marriage to anora during the landsmeet -- which he will loathe you for -- etc. ) but unless plotted otherwise, the default is that he becomes teyrn, his sister is the arlessa of amaranthine, and he enters an arranged marriage with evelyn trevelyan ( @verdraste who is also my default inquisitor, unless ofc i'm writing with other non-trevelyan inquisitors ).

fantasy : very easy to drop fergus and house cousland in any fantasy setting !! so this may be the primary choice. the gist remains relatively the same. his land is on the stormy coast of whatever country applies, and default is that his family is recognized as being second in power to the crown, or close to it. they're known for their highly adept soldiers (great for muses who need allies & reinforcements!), strong network of spies, and breeding and raising mabari warhounds. more than likely, fergus succeeded his father due to a similar tragedy, but we can play it by ear.

regency / bridgerton : fergus is the eldest son of the duke of highever. given his family's legacy in the military, he voluntarily fought in the battle of waterloo, but sustained an injury that left him incapacitated and unable to return home for a few months. during his recovery, his estate was infiltrated by an unknown murderer who killed his parents, but luckily did not find his sister. upon his return home, fergus steps in as the new duke, and is being pressured into finding a wife soon. understandably, this is currently the last thing on his mind. he's besties with benedict and anthony ( when he isn't being a buzzkill <3 ).

dossier

name. fergus cousland titles. teyrn of highever (addressed as "lord cousland") pronouns. he/him age. 27 (da:o), 37-40 (da:i) origin/nationality. ferelden etymology. human noble / warrior of the champion class sexuality. bisexual alignment. lawful good, fealty to the ferelden crown or his sister

relations. alys cousland (sister, @ladygriffon), bryce cousland (father, deceased), eleanor cousland (mother, deceased), oriana cousland (first wife, deceased), oren cousland (son, deceased)

height. 6'1" build. herculean, defined but not chiseled; strong like a bear, not a pretty statue; just enough softness to make for an excellent hugger (also he has great tits idc idc) hair. dark brown, curly eyes. hazel, variety of browns and honey tones scars. riddled with them. he's a tank; it's his duty to battle in the frontlines and take critical hits. his body is a testament to this. he wears them with pride, aside from the worst one: a large crescent shaped gash across his abdomen from the battle of ostagar. he had to cauterize the wound to avoid bleeding out. the chasind took care of the rest when they found him, but not even magic could heal it all the way. scents. petrichor, sea salt and cypress

known languages: ferelden, and most other languages from across thedas. it was required in his noble studies, but frankly he is sorely embarrassed to admit he has not retained most of them and will butcher the conversation on more than a few accounts. his avvar is pretty great though, thanks to aerick, an exiled avvar/highever guardsman, originally from kirkwall, who mentored him through his youth. (also asteria's father, but more on that in a different post)

abilities / skillset. * weapons master. proficient with most weapons (i.e., shields, halberds, crossbrows, axes & mauls). he'll often carry 2-3 depending on the situation and his position in the battlefield, but his sword is the most consistent choice. dual wielding it with a shield or a maul crafted in the shape of two mabari jaws is his other consistent choice.

* great tactician. by the time we get to da: origins, fergus pretty much functions as a commander in his father's stead. he led the forces of the northern ferelden banns and strategized the battle alongside king cailan, loghain and duncan.

* superior survival skills. again thanks to aerick, but, as an outdoorsman who hated being cooped up in the castle, these lessons were mainly through fergus' insistence. he's always taken a great interest in hunting, as well as aerick's avvar roots, so aerick would sometimes oblige fergus and his friends by guiding them through long hunting treks in the mountains, to learn how to hunt, set traps, and survive more practically in tougher terrains. eventually, he made a habit of frequently hiking at his own leisure despite protests from his mother, so at this point you can throw him in the middle of anywhere and he'll be quite capable and adaptable.

* basic nautical skills. thanks to his oh-so-fun summer weeks spent with grandpa fearcher on a warship :))) old man put your boy through it, but he came out with callouses a plenty, knowing the basics of rigging, how to tie excellent knots, star navigation, etc. restrictions. * speed. he is meant to be a powerhouse, and is fast but only to a degree. when faced with someone of the rogue class, this could very well be to his detriment if he can't manage to get in a good hit that knocks them into next week.

* post battle of ostagar. his right leg was broken and poorly set when he was found by the chasind, and while healed, it does still fail on him if he exerts himself too hard. he also suffers from ptsd which can be triggered during a confrontation and compromise his focus. his combat days are much more limited because of this, but he's still a tactician and inspires high morale in the ranks where he can.

* politics. he hates everything about it. while a warm and generally charming person, he cannot abide to be disingenuous and lacks the patience to engage in shallow or false conversations. he's a man, guided by his heart, who acts more quickly than he thinks and will often be brutally honest if there's someone or something he doesn't like. regardless of political consequence. one of the reasons why alys was thought to be better suited for the role of teyrna.

themes. through me (the flood), hozier

[scriptores]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 : agent twilight, spy x family

overview: in the middle of a cold war between the neighboring nations of westalis & ostania, twilight is a top agent working under W.I.S.E (westalian intelligence service - eastern division) striving to safeguard the fragile state of peace that grows more precarious everyday. a master of disguise, he is frequently sent undercover in the thick of ostanian territory, where many of his missions deal with thwarting extremist groups, infiltrating the inner circles of national unity party members (the political party that was deposed at the end of the first war), and extracting any information or plans that may bring on another war. for this reason, he's known as the man with a thousand faces, the ostanian government's most wanted agent, infamous for his achievements, while his true face, history, and identity remain an enigma.

VERSES.

canon: operation stryx is the current mission. his target is donovan desmond, the former prime minister and elusive leader of the national unity party who is in talks of planning something big and potentially detrimental to peace relations. twilight is posing as loid forger, a psychiatrist in the capital of ostania, berlint city, and has been tasked with building the perfect fake family in order to blend in with ostania's elite class and have his child enrolled in the same prestigious school as desmond's youngest son. due to a shortage of spies on the ground, he's also tasked with too many side quests, and can be found just about anywhere wearing any face. plots can take place within the series timeline, or prior with one of twilight's previous covers and operations.

mi6 / 007 / man from u.n.c.l.e. au: will usually be set in the 60s, but can also be used for modern day interactions and espionage universes. twilight is an agent for mi6 frequently tasked with undercover missions, primarily in europe, but throughout the continents as well. his job is to stop extremist activities before they become public, and gather or destroy intel as necessary to prevent another world war. much like his canon verse, no one outside his affiliated organizations and close assets know what he really looks like. ( he collaborates with u.n.c.l.e. but is still mi6; for james bond plots he's agent 004, still only known as twilight )

regency spy au: originally german, but orphaned in england, he works for england's war office as an undercover agent & asset during the napoleon wars. he's using several covers to keep an eye on the ton for traitorous plans, as well as the area of kent ( near aubrey hall ) where much of the supply and information smuggling happens. ( loosely based on julia quinn's spy duology )

dragon age: twilight was orphaned during the rebellion war between ferelden & orlais, and was trained to be a ferelden spy by william cousland. his first mission was to ensure empress celene's succession. he attended the university of orlais under the guise of a free marcher's heir and discreetly thwarted assassination attempts on the empress. with the peace treaty finally struck, twilight had been tasked with keeping an eye out for any breaches on either side, but primarily in orlais. he was stuck there the start of the blight, but despite the closed borders was able to find his way back in. he can be picked up as a companion in origins. by the events of da:i, leliana approaches him to join her and the inquisition as one of her top informants. his focus is then on tevinter, the ventori, and eventually the agents of fen'harel.

DOSSIER

name. [redacted] codename. twilight alias(es). loid forger (psychiatrist), robert (gov. attaché), lawrence (black market), lionel (national defense), roy (westalian soldier) pronouns. he/him age. late 20s / early 30s origin/nationality. luwen, westalis (default). west germany (60s/modern) etymology. human / spy. sexuality. bisexual alignment. neutral good , w.i.s.e. (canon), mi6 (60s/modern)

relations. * from loid forger's I.D. file: anya forger, daughter (alive), yor forger née briar, wife (alive) * from twilight's destroyed I.D. file: [redacted], mother (deceased), [redacted], father (presumed dead), [redacted], grand-uncle (deceased)

height. 6'2" build. slender / athletic hair. blonde eyes. blue scars. * from a shot in his left thigh, the bullet is still there, this is the ugliest one; * from a shot below his collar bone, with an exit wound on his right shoulder blade. * back of his head that's covered up by his hair. you'd only notice if you feel for it. scents. clean leather, gunpowder, cognac, tonka bean, and oak wood known languages: * canon verse: westalian, ostanian, hugarian, nortic * modern verse: german, dutch, english, japanese, french, russian, hungarian, & romansh. also basic portuguese.

abilities / skillset. master of disguise; expert marksmanship; genius intellect with a photographic memory; master tactician (sort of like nanami's ratio strategy, twilight can quickly scan a room/opponent/obstacle, play out various probable approaches in real-time until he finds the most precise and efficient one to win)

restrictions. while still strong, he'll rely on strategy to overpower someone, can be overwhelmed by large numbers when his stamina fails him; his kindness. while he is very methodical and unemotional during an operation, his kindness will on rare occasion win over his logic and may lead to decisions that would otherwise compromise his mission; a sleep deprived babe, may be vulnerable during naps.

theme. you only live twice, nancy sinatra / eleanor rigby, cody fry / rhinestone eyes, the gorillaz